❖ Video
❖ Audio (Message)
Where Do You Find Your Bread of Life?
(John 6:1-15)
Mari Ikeda
Today we continue in the Gospel of John, and today we will read 6:1-15. This passage records the miracle of Jesus feeding a crowd of over 5,000 people with a meager amount of food. This miracle is the only one of Jesus’ miracles that is recorded in all four Gospels. Therefore, it was probably the most well-known miracle of the early church. It could be said that the story is that significant. However, even though they record the same miracle, each of the four Gospels has a different emphasis, and this Gospel of John in particular has a different perspective than the other three. That is the question I have titled today’s message, “Where do you find your bread of life?” This question is also the question, “What is your bread of life?” or “What is your source of sustenance?” How would you answer this question?
So, as usual, let’s read a little at a time. First, verses 1-4.
A. A hint from John (1-4)
1 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), 2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Festival was near.
John, the writer of this gospel, gives us a hint here that will help us understand the miracle that Jesus is about to perform. It is in verse 4, “The Jewish Passover Festival was near.” This is information not found in the other three Gospels. The Passover is a Jewish festival commemorating the events of the Exodus, and is based on the story that the ancestors of the Jews followed God’s instructions and sacrificed a lamb, whose blood spared them from the plague and allowed them to escape Egypt safely. I believe that John wanted to tell his readers that the miracle Jesus is about to perform is related to that Passover. I will tell you what exactly that means later. Let’s quickly read the entire miraculous event, verses 5-13.
B. What Jesus wanted to teach through this miracle (5-13)
5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. 7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” 8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
1. The magnitude of Jesus’ grace
Jesus teaches us many things through this miracle, but the first and foremost thing we can see is the magnitude of His grace. The fact that he was able to feed thousands of people with so little food and still have plenty of bread left over is a miracle that would not normally be possible, but it is a miracle that Jesus performed. It is simply a proof that Jesus is the one who satisfies our need to live. Moreover, Jesus did not discriminate against even those who never believed in Him and were trying to take advantage of Him. It shows that Jesus’ mercy is far greater than we humans can imagine, and that His grace is so great that it is still more than enough to meet our needs.
2. The magnitude of God’s salvation
The next thing to note is what Jesus said and did before distributing the bread: verse 11 says, “Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted.” This is clearly Communion in mind. Communion is an occasion to remember that Jesus offered his life to forgive our sins. The fact that it appears in this passage means that the event of Jesus sharing the bread and fish for the crowd here is connected to the event of the cross, where Jesus would eventually offer his body for us. The first hint of the Passover was given also to show this. It means that Jesus became the Passover Lamb. This will become even clearer throughout this chapter six.
Jesus desires to give Himself to us, not just to meet our physical needs. Through the breaking of Jesus’ body and the shedding of His blood on the cross, our sins are forgiven and we are freed from them and given new life. That we may believe this, be made strong in our weakness, and live without losing hope at any time, is what Jesus wants most for us.
Then we can see that this miracle story not only teaches the magnitude of Jesus’ grace, but also the magnitude of God’s salvation. Bread was broken and shared among the people, and when they had eaten as much as they wanted and were full, there was still bread left over. In other words, the forgiveness of sin given to us through the breaking of Jesus’ body is not the end of our salvation after we partake of it, but it is so expansive that it seems impossible to us.
3. We may feel it’s impossible, but it’s possible for God.
Now, then, I would like to focus on the interaction between Jesus and his disciples.
Jesus first asked Philip where he thought he could buy bread to feed the crowd. Philip replied, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” As one denarion is one day’s wages for a laborer, Philip is basically saying that even if he paid the equivalent of 200 days’ wages, he still would not be able to buy enough bread. In other words, Philip said to Jesus, “It’s impossible. It is impossible for us. Please give up.” Jesus, knowing Philip well, might have laughed at Philip’s realistic response, just as expected.
I think we would, in many cases, react the same way as Philip. It is natural to think that there is nothing we can do when confronted with something that seems unattainable in the “normal” practical sense of the word. But the exchange between Jesus and Philip teaches us that we should not assume so easily. What we may think is impossible may not be impossible for God. So, while we need to be realistic about our situation, we must remember to keep expecting God even in the midst of what we think is impossible.
4. God uses our meager offerings thousands of times over.
And here comes Andrew. As in his first appearance in chapter 1, when he brought his brother Peter to Jesus, here he also brings a boy to Jesus. The boy had five small barley loaves and perhaps two small cooked fish to accompany them. I think this was the boy’s lunch. Perhaps Andrew respected the boy’s offer, “I have food,” or perhaps he came looking for the boy from the crowd himself. Either way, Andrew went to tell Jesus about it, even though he knew there was nothing he could do with such a small amount of food. The result is as we read. The 5,000 is only the number of adult males, so if we add women and children, there were probably close to 10,000 people there. Jesus used the little amount of food that was available, less than enough for one person, and multiplied it thousands of times, maybe even tens of thousands of times.
I mentioned earlier that this miraculous event foreshadowed the cross of Jesus and taught us the greatness of God’s salvation, but here I want to add that we have a role to play in God’s saving work. Although there are many people who need salvation, each of us can do so little that we sometimes think that nothing we can do will make a difference. But even though what we have is little, as this miraculous event shows, Jesus is the one who uses it thousands or tens of thousands of times more. What we need is the courage to offer Jesus what little we have, just as Andrew and the boy did. God wants to use our imperfect and lacking compassion and love to extend His compassion and love to this world.
5. He asks us, “Where do you get your bread of life?”
Now let us return to Jesus’ first question. Jesus first asked Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” This question of Jesus is not found in the other three Gospels. In the other three Gospels, Jesus had compassion on the hungry crowds and commanded his disciples to get bread. It is only in this Gospel of John record that Jesus asks, “Where do you get bread?”
Here is a point of emphasis unique to the Gospel of John. John is showing that what Jesus is asking here is not merely where the bread is that fills our bellies, but where the bread of life is that makes people live. In other words, according to John, Jesus is asking here, “What makes people live? Where do you get it?” This question is addressed to the disciples themselves and to us. “Where do you get your bread of life?” And, “What is your bread of life?”
The miracle event we have been reading about today is Jesus’ own answer to this question. Jesus is the giver of bread, and Jesus has more than enough bread to meet everyone’s needs. And as I said, the bread Jesus gives is His own body and life. Jesus wants to be the bread of life for us. How do we answer to Jesus?
Now let’s read the final verses, 14-15.
C. What do we seek to approach Jesus? (14-15)
14 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.
At that time, I don’t think anyone, including the disciples, understood Jesus’ true intentions. People only focused on Jesus’ supernatural power and tried to use it for political or military purposes. Also, although Jesus healed people’s illnesses and satisfied their hunger, it was not His only purpose to satisfy our physical needs. Again, what Jesus wanted us to receive was Jesus Himself.
What are we looking for in Jesus? Jesus is not a convenient prophet for us or a king who protects our interests. We can ask Jesus for anything and He will meet our needs, but our relationship with Him does not end there. In loneliness and despair, in physical suffering, Jesus died on the cross, so that we may live out our lives here on earth, not defeated by loneliness, despair, and physical suffering. It was also for us to share in the hope of the resurrection. Please know Jesus as our bread of life.
(Prayer) Lord Jesus, thank you that you died on the cross in our place and gave us new life. When we lose the meaning of life, when we are worn out, please teach us that your love never runs out and is always poured out on us. And teach us to see that your mercy is far wider than we can ever imagine. Give us the humility and courage to rely not on our own strength, but on You. Guide us by Your Spirit to the right direction for the thoughts that are in our hearts. Lord Jesus, we thank you and keep our hope in you. We pray this in Your name. Amen.
Summary
The miracle of Jesus feeding a crowd of over 5,000 people with less than enough food for one person was the most well-known miracle in the early church. Through this miracle, He taught us that He is the one who generously gives us food to live. But more than that, Jesus asked us, “Where do you get your bread of live?” and, “What is your bread of life?” Jesus wants to be our bread of life.
For Discussion
- What does it mean that all people had enough food and there were still lots of left overs?
- Have you ever thought that you are Philip are the same? How about Andrew?